[dj3]

A friend asked me about this one.
I told him Equinox, even though they roll off the same line.
Years ago they were building Cameros and Firebirds at an assembly factory in Van Nuys, CA. I went on a factory tour, and in the parking area off the assembly line I saw one that said Camero on the front and Firebird on the back...
What say you?

 

[Windows on Wash]

The new ones are both nice. Had an Equinox for a employee before that ate a motor, but given the employee that was the driver, I am pretty sure who's fault that was.

 

[DexterII]

Sort of ironic that these newer formatted vehicles are called crossovers, but, in this case for examples, there has been a crossover for years with same or at least extremely similar vehicles built on a common platform and the only significant difference being the badge that was applied as they rolled off the line. My dad bought a brand new '77 Chevrolet Suburban that arrived all Chevrolet on one side and all GMC on the other, and it didn't bother him so that's the way it stayed. As far as the Equinox versus the Terrain, I believe that your friend will find only subtle differences, likely with the Terrain having some extra frosting if you will, maybe fancier leather on the steering wheel, maybe a different bead on the seats, but not much more than that. Functionally identical I imagine. So except for possibly one or the other offering extended discounts or whatever, it probably comes down to which dealer he or she prefers and how much each is willing to negotiate. I'm a pickup guy so none of them do a lot for me, but my wife looked at quite a variety of them, Chevy, GMC, Ford, Honda, and I'm not sure which others, decided on an Equinox, that was 2018, and is real happy with it.

 

[3onthetree]

I saw one that said Camero on the front and Firebird on the back...

It's come full circle since that badging mistake

 

[Windows on Wash]

It's come full circle since that badging mistake

That thing is pure sexy!!!

RIP Burt...you are missed.

 

[chandler48]

Not sure on the Equinox. I was stopped at a light and an elderly gentleman was just not paying attention and hit me in the back of my Volvo at 45 MPH. We got out and exchanged niceties, and I wanted to make sure he was OK. Damage to Volvo was scratched bumper and slight dent in trunk lid. Equinox was totaled. It looked as if it had hit a power pole.

 

[Oso954]

A lot of the more modern cars are getting totaled based on their crumple zones. Hit or get hit hard enough and it crumples to absorb the impact.
There is just so much to repair that it’s cheaper to pay it off than to fix it.

Before crumple zones, we had the opposite problem. Cars would be in rather forceful impacts, the car would get sheet metal repairs, and the guy would end up driving a car with a bent frame for years. Then some mechanic would finally read the signs correctly either by finding the problem under the car or by putting the car on a frame rack/table and finding it.

I’m on the side of having crumple zones and expecting a fair settlement from the insurance if they total it.

How old is that Volvo ? I know the real old ones were pretty much built like tanks for their size. Good rep for both safety/reliability. I still see a few from the 60s or 70s.

 

[chandler48]

It was in the 2000's. What saved my bacon was the WHIPS system incorporated in the Volvo. When a rear end collision happens, the driver's seat mechanism stripped and the seat went backwards, absorbing the shock of the impact. I didn't feel it. But I wondered why the seat was sitting so far back when I got back in. $2k to replace that part.

 

[Brainbucket]

A Volvo and a cement truck crashed here in Baton Rouge and the cement truck had to be towed away. Volvo drove off. I've owned a few Volvos and they were supposed to be the safest cars to be in a crash. The GMC is a little more luxurious than the Chevy. :vs_cool:

 

[ktownskier]

Not sure on the Equinox. I was stopped at a light and an elderly gentleman was just not paying attention and hit me in the back of my Volvo at 45 MPH. We got out and exchanged niceties, and I wanted to make sure he was OK. Damage to Volvo was scratched bumper and slight dent in trunk lid. Equinox was totaled. It looked as if it had hit a power pole.

Is that more a testament to the Volvo than a negative of the Equinox?

I had a Trailblazer, and I rear ended a suburban. Like the Equinox, I suffered a lot of damage, not totaled, but a lot of damage.

I think it is planned so that there is less possible damage to the occupant. And with the impact to the rear, there is a lot more mass to the carry the impact so less damage to the vehicle.

 

[Old Thomas]

My daughter in law drives one or the other of those. For its sizeable exterior I find the interior to be tight and cramped.

 

[chandler48]

We have a local "Volvo" repair facility. He buys old, wrecked, or used up Volvos and pumps life back into them. He tells of the story of buying a wrecked Volvo where there was a fatality. Two men from Sweden came to look at it and take measurements outside and inside. He said they went over it completely. He asked why. They said "nobody dies in our cars". They are tough.

 

[ktownskier]

My dream car growing up, was the Volvo Wagon, then the Volvo XCountry Wagon. Then the Volvo XC-70 or XC-90.

I bought a Volvo V-50 wagon. A small 4 door, 4 person, 4 cylinder wagon. I bought it used and with a protection plan. I loved the damn car. Even with just front wheel drive, it handled the snow in the mountains great. The next winter, I bought a set of snow tires/wheels for it from TireRack. It handled everything so much better.

Then, one day, when my wife was driving me from Silverthorne over to Vail for sinus surgery, it gave a hiccup and died. We tried to restart it to no avail. Luckily, someone came and picked us up and took us to the hospital just in time.

It turned out that the timing belt has jumped and blew the engine. The repair plan couldn't come to an agreement with the service shop. (Mountain repair, versus big city) and the cost to to it down to Denver was up to me.

So, I told them to come and get the car. They did and the finance company never billed me another dime. And, nothing on my credit report either. It said paid in full.

My other car love of my life was a 1977 Audio Fox. It would cruise all day in 4th gear doing 80 mph and get 30 mpg. I bought it used, with 97K miles on it. I had to put a new motor in it as the main seal was blown. I took the dealership to court and got them to pay part of it. I drove the car for 9 years and almost 200K miles on the body. (110K on the motor) The body was still in great shape and so was the inside. I got back almost what I paid for it.

 

[chandler48]

Yeah I had a twin turbo Volvo and when I turned the starter one evening, it started and died. 18 of the 24 valves were bent when timing belt broke. Cost to fix exceeded the paltry amount I had in it. Sold it to some weasel from South Florida for $500, and he came to North Georgia to drag it home. Oddly, I bought it from another weasel in South Florida, so it went back home.

 

[Old Thomas]

I used to like Volvos before they became Chinese.

 

[Chris616]

Yesterday we bought new tires for my wife’s 20 year old Volvo wagon. I hope that doesn’t jinx it. What a great car it has been, and I agree that it’s too bad that Volvo is no longer Swedish.

Chris